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Sweet And Sour Cauliflower

I like how that one just rolls off the tongue. Sweet and sour cauliflower. I also love how delicious it tastes and amazed at how close the sauce is to take-out sweet and sour. When I decided to try this idea out I was totally ready for a complete failure, but Adam gave it his seal of approval. Since he is the only one around to taste my food I have to trust his palate and it’s usually pretty good. He deemed this one blog-worthy so you guys get to taste the yummy.

Anyone see any movies/trailers they’re excited about? Over the weekend, I saw the Batman vs. Superman trailer and then earlier this week I saw the Suicide Squad preview. My thought about both of them? Ok. Now I know that some of you are going to rip my head off and say these are going to be the best movies ever and how dare I and blah, blah, blah.

Well calm down.

I have nothing against superhero movies, in fact, they’re really entertaining and I generally enjoy them. Batman is one of my favorite heroes and I loved Christopher Nolan’s take on him. This movie though just didn’t really do anything for me. I don’t really know much about that superhero universe so that’s probably why I wasn’t as thrilled by the preview. That being said, I live with a DC comic nerd and he loves the Batman world and I will probably be going to see the movie and I most likely I won’t hate it.

As for the Suicide Squad, the only thing I said when I saw it was, “I miss Heath Ledger.” I’m sure Jared Leto will be fantastic and it isn’t fair to compare the two actors or the two movies because they are totally different. But still, Ledger was a darn good Joker. Other than that, the movie holds no interest for me other than I usually like Will Smith’s work. But maybe it’s time for villains to get a little more screen time and see what makes them the way they are. We’ll see.

Sweet and Sour Cauliflower

For the sauce:

1 20 oz. can of pineapple tidbits (make sure it’s just pineapple and pineapple juice, no added sugar or ingredients)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey or coconut nectar

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce or tamari

1 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp ginger powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp tapioca starch (you can also use corn starch)

For the cauliflower:

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp granulated garlic

2 tsp chinese five spice

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425. Drain the pineapple tidbits, saving all the juice. You should have about a cup of pineapple juice. If you are a little short, add water until you reach 1 cup.

Add the pineapple juice and the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT for the tapioca starch, into a small saucepan. Whisk everything until it is well combined and then bring the sauce to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, place cauliflower florets into a large bowl. Drizzle in olive oil and sprinkle in the seasonings. Toss to combine. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat and place the cauliflower onto the sheet in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.

In a small bowl whisk the tapioca starch and 1 tbsp water until it’s smooth and no lumps remain. Add this slurry to the sweet and sour sauce. The sauce should immediately start to thicken up.

Remove cauliflower from the oven and place into a large bowl. Pour half the sauce over the cauliflower and stir to coat. Serve over rice, noodles, or veggie stir fry and top with pineapple tidbits and extra sauce.